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Where to take your mum in London this Mother’s Day

It’s never too soon to book a restaurant for Mother’s Day, which is coming up on Sunday 26 March. Arranging that all-important dinner comes with a lot of pressure but, luckily for you, we’ve got a selection of restaurants to suit every category of mother, broken down even further into scrimp or splurge alternatives. Genius, if we do say so ourselves. So get booking and smother your mother (with love and food only, obviously).

Words: Eamonn Crowe and India Dowley

Traditional Mum

What: Corbin & King (The Wolseley, The Delaunay et al) have lavished all their customary care and attention on this Piccadilly Circus behemoth, and the gold-plated rococo basement is a jaw-dropper of film-set proportions, where food of purist Gallic standards are served at prices last seen in our student days.Where: 20 Sherwood Street, W1F 7ED

What: Looking down on the Thames from eight floors up, OXO restaurant is perfect for mums who like a classy afternoon out. You and Mummy will get to enjoy a three-course set menu for £65, featuring the likes of Scottish venison steak with polenta and green peppercorn sauce, and blood orange cake with almond ice cream. There’s even a glass of Champers thrown in on arrival.Where: Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House Street, SE1 9PH

Young Mum

What: If you’re in the market for a dark and moody basement restaurant serving affordable food against a boisterous soundtrack, this Soho chophouse delivers. Tricked out in rough-and-ready mufti (with atmosphere to match), Blacklock is characterised by muted colours, candles and shadows – in keeping with the dubious pleasure of being housed in a former brothel.Where: The Basement, 24 Great Windmill Street, W1D 7LG

What: Our Restaurant of the Year 2015 continues to dazzle diners with its experimental use of seasonal British produce. Isaac McHale’s cooking revolves around daringly modern tasting menus, reflecting London in all its cosmopolitan dynamism. Beware: pre-payment is required when booking for dinner.When: 380 Old Street, EC1V 9LT

Posh Mum

What: Ok, so this luxe Chinese isn’t normally found next to the word ‘scrimp’, but hear us out: It’s launching an afternoon tea menu just in time for Mother’s Day, for a relatively affordable £39 per person. That includes traditional sandwiches, a range of scones and a selection of sweet pastries. Loose-leaf tea is sourced from China, while live music from The Orchestre de Chinois adds a sense of occasion.Where: 17 Berkeley Street, W1J 8EA

What: Simon Rogan’s Fera has created a special Taste of Fera Mother’s Day lunch menu for £85 per person, featuring eight dishes. Lucky mums get to enjoy bites including stewed rabbit with lovage and Yorkshire rhubarb with roses, while there’s a glass of Champagne each included too.Where: Claridge's, Brook Street, W1K 4HR

Cool Mum

What: When you take a hipster who’s spent 10 years working at St John Bread & Wine, a pop-up restaurant, a Copenhagen nightclub and a swish version of Turkish kebabbery, the result is bound to be pretty cool. Lee Tiernan and his wife Kate have created their own selection of kebabs, beers and ‘other tasty junk’.Where: 156 Canonbury Road, N1 2UP

What: Chef Robin Gill spent four years at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons and had a stint at Noma, but it’s the latter’s new Nordic Kitchen influence that’s evident in his predilection for smoking, curing and fermenting. The concrete floor, white tiles and filament-bulb look epitomises the modern energetic East London eatery, as do the waiting staff’s colourful tattoos.Where: 254 Paradise Row, E2 9LE

What: Fantastic steaks, food-porn burgers, triple-cooked chips and that homemade tomato ketchup – need we say more? A lack of pretension adds to the charm of Hawksmoor, as do the calorific puds and strong cocktail list.Where: Various locations

What: This gorgeous spin-off from the Ottolenghi deli chain serves myriad obscure ingredients in the zingy, mouth-watering combinations that have become his trademark. The gleaming all-day brasserie is done out in shades of white and gold, while sharing is encouraged and there’s much to rave about.Where: 21-22 Warwick Street, W1B 5NE

Fun Mum

What: ‘Interactive oriental fusion’ is the deal at these futuristic, neon-lit restaurants, which have silenced those naysayers who claimed the gimmicky idea of ordering your meal via the interactive tables would soon wear thin. Instead, diners love this Pan-Asian concept with its entertaining novelty – you can even order a taxi home from your table.Where: 265 Hampstead Road, NW1 7QX, 11-14 Hanover Place, WC2E 9JP and 134-136 Wardour Street, W1F 8ZP

What: Part of a large brood? Sea Containers is marking the day by offering brunch or dinner on the house, to any mum dining with a party of four or more. With views of The Thames and a swanky setting, this is a good one for social media gloating about how you’re just the best child.Where: 20 Upper Ground, SE1 9PD

Flash Mum

What: If you can’t afford Gymkhana, this worthy offspring is a fab alternative for the flash-pack. For Mother’s Day, there’s even the rare chance to book a table here: a £40 ticket includes six courses, each from a recipe that has been contributed by a mother of team Hoppers. Sittings are available at 12.30pm, 2.30pm, 5.30pm or 8pm and tickets can be purchased at Hopperslondon.tocktix.com. Where: 49 Frith Street, W1D 4SG

What: Tom Seller’s (Restaurant Story) Chelsea hotspot has played host to several big names (Lindsay Lohan, anyone?) so makes for a perfectly flashy dinner spot. For Mother’s Day, it’s offering a glass of fizz for mums on arrival, as well as gifting them a selection of petit fours to take home.Where: 264 Brompton Road, SW3 2AS

Heat-seeking Mum

What: This Covent Garden Indian is going all-out for Mother’s Day by launching a month-long menu. Head chef Sameer Taneja has teamed up with fellow cooks Romy Gill, Maunika Gowardhan, Asma Khan and Rebecca Seal to create a menu of treats inspired by their food memories. On the menu, there’s fish curry served with steamed rice and mango pickle, as well as baked cottage cheese dumplings encased in a chocolate shell.Where: 152-156 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8HL

What: This Michelin-starred Mayfair Indian is celebrating with a limited-edition menu. Mums will be feasting on a six-course tasting menu (£105 per person), featuring five-spice pickled prawns and tandoori chicken tikka pie. They’ll also bag a box of Benares chocolates to take home, while those who quote 'Mum's the word' will receive a complimentary cocktail on arrival.Where: 12a Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, W1J 6BS

MILF

More interested in someone else’s mum than your own? Have a browse of our selection of London’s most romantic restaurants, so you can really impress – you filthy, filthy human.